Finches

Chapter 4 - The Queen Clam

Colt wasn't actually drowning. It took a moment, but after the initial panic subsided he realized that the water had just naturally carried him up to the surface. It was painful, but with some effort Colt was able to rotate his body around and submerge his head from the water.

He gasped wildly for air, coughing some water out of his mouth. He paddled at the water desperately with his hands, and then slowly started to gain some more control. Then he was finally able to open his eyes and look around at his surroundings.

He was out treading on the open ocean, the sunlight beating down upon him. His only view was the Bloody Manta sailing off into the distance. With the ship went his only chance at a better life for himself, his only shot at finding the Lost Captain, and years of his life that he'd spent aboard it.

As he watched the ship sail away, Colt noticed something strange. The ship wasn't actually sailing away. It was coming right toward him. And it looked larger than he had remembered it. Colt looked up at the ship's sails and confirmed his thoughts. It was a different ship. Rather than black sails with a red manta ray, this ship had red sails with an orange crab on a yellow star embroidered upon it. With that, the difference in size, and the fact that the ship was sailing straight toward Colt, it was pretty obvious that this new ship was not the Bloody Manta.

"What the..." Colt muttered. He used all the strength he could muster to turn himself around and face the other direction. Sure enough, there the Bloody Manta was, sailing away.

What were the chances that there would be another ship nearby? Colt realized that it was just the miracle he needed. He could board the new ship coming toward him, and start a completely new life. He wouldn't drown in the sea, either, so that was another plus.

"Hey!" Colt shouted. He started moving his arms up and down and splashing the water, trying to catch the attention of the ship. "Over here!"

The ship continued toward him and Colt kept up the commotion. With his wounds, it hurt him to even move, but it wasn't like he had a choice. If he didn't board this ship, he'd be left out at sea. Even if he were completely healthy he probably wouldn't survive long. So the options were clear. Get on the new ship or die.

Colt preferred the former, so he didn't dare slow down. He yelled and yelled, and slapped and slapped at the water. The ship kept coming until it was right next to him. Colt desperately grabbed at the side ladder. He missed the first time, but caught it on his second attempt. Unfortunately, his hands were too slippery from the water and the ladder escaped his grasp. Soon the ship had passed him and was heading on without stopping.

Colt let out a deep breath. So was that it? Was that his final chance at survival? Was this how it all ended? All because he couldn't grab a ladder in time? What a stupid way to die, he thought.

Busy wallowing in self pity, Colt barely even noticed when the ship finally came to a stop. It was a delayed stop, but the ship was slowing down nonetheless. It wasn't until Colt saw the anchor chain hanging over the side of the vessel that he realized: they had actually stopped for him.

Colt paddled over to the ship as quickly as he could, and this time got a good grip on the ladder. Now that he was up beside it, the ship looked even larger. It had seemed bigger than the Bloody Manta from a distance, but now there was no question about it. This ship was at least twice the size of Captain Rave's.

Colt climbed the rather tall ladder, and once he reached the top rung he felt pain run through his hand. He looked up to see a large boot planted on top of his hand.

"Who are you?" demanded a voice that Colt guessed belonged to the boot-wearer.

Colt shifted his strength to his other hand to stay on the ladder, then responded. "Colt."